1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an IC card connector, and particularly to a contact for an IC card connector which provides a reliable connection with a printed circuit board and a uniform connection force against the IC card.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,879,169, referring to FIG. 5, discloses a connector 10 for connection with an IC card (not shown). The connector 10 consists of an insulative housing 200 and a plurality of contacts 100 disposed in the housing 200. The housing 200 has a plurality of cavities 202 and opposite sidewalls 204. Each contact 100 includes a generally L-shaped beam 103 having an interferential fit with a corresponding sidewall 204, a curved contact portion 104 at one end of the beam 103, and a soldering tail 102 at the other end of the beam 103. The contact portions 104 of the contacts 100 project slightly from a mating surface 206 of the housing 200 for contacting corresponding connecting pads on the IC card. The soldering tails 102 extend outwardly along a bottom surface of each sidewall 204 for being surface mounted on a circuit board. In addition, there is no means for supporting and restraining the contact portions 104, each being a cantilever, whereby the contact portions 104 may protrude beyond the mating surface 206 with uneven heights. Thus, the contact portions 104 exert different normal forces on an IC card situated close and parallel to the mating surface 206 of the connector 10, resulting in an inferior connection therebetween. Surface Mounted Technology (SMT) provides so many advantages that it is ever increasingly utilized in connector manufacturing. Furthermore, it is well known that the coplanarity of the soldering surfaces of the contacts in SMT applications is a critical factor for the quality of the connection. However, the '169 patent provides no means for ensuring the coplanarity such that defective surface soldering between the soldering tails 102 and the circuit board may occur.
Hence, an improved electrical connector is required which is suitable for SMT mounting and which ensures reliable connection with an IC card parallel to the connector's mating surface.